Children who have a serious lower respiratory infection such as pneumonia or bronchitis by the age of two are almost twice as likely to die early as adults from respiratory disease, according to new British research, the first of its kind on such a large scale. long time (eight decades).

The researchers, led by Dr James Allinson of Imperial College London, who published the relevant publication in the medical journal “The Lancet”, analyzed data on 3,589 people, of whom one in four (25%) had been infected. of the lower respiratory until they are two years old. Almost one in five of the participants (674 or 19%) had died prematurely before the age of 73 and, of these, 8% had a respiratory condition, mainly COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), as the cause of death.

It found that those who had experienced a severe respiratory infection as young children were 93% more likely to die prematurely as adults. This group had a 2.2% rate of premature deaths from respiratory disease, compared to 1.1% of the group that had not had a childhood severe respiratory infection.

The researchers pointed out that early respiratory infection in children was only associated with a subsequent increased risk of premature death from lung disease, not from other causes such as heart disease or cancers. They also emphasized that the findings show that the misconception that premature mortality in adults from respiratory diseases is only related to smoking is dispelled.

“New evidence highlighting the early origins of several chronic diseases in adults helps dispel the stigma that all deaths from conditions such as COPD are related to lifestyle factors,” said Dr. Allinson.

Chronic respiratory diseases (with COPD being the most common) are a major public health problem, estimated to be the cause of nearly 4 million deaths annually, or about 7% of all deaths worldwide.